Labrie Denied New Trial in St. Paul's Sexual Assault Case

In 2015 St. Paul's grad Owen Labrie was convicted of having sex with a minor and then freshman girl on the prep school campus.

AP

A Concord judge Wednesday denied a new trial for St. Paul graduate Owen Labrie. Labrie was convicted in 2015 of having sex with a minor on the prep school campus.

When Labrie fought for a new trial back in February, he argued that his defense team did a poor job representing him. He said his lawyers failed to properly prepare, that they disregarded key evidence and made no effort to defend him against one of the felony charges.

On Wednesday, a Superior Court judge ruled that wasn’t the case. In court documents, Judge Larry Smukler stated that Labrie’s defense team was made up of “highly experienced and prepared defense attorneys who made reasonable strategic and tactical decisions throughout the trial.”

Labrie will now appeal his one-year sentence to the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He’s currently out on bail at his mother’s home in Tunbridge, Vermont.

Earlier this week, Labrie’s victim Chessy Prout was in the state advocating for sexual assault awareness.

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Well-known Boston attorney J.W. Carney stands by the defense he provided Owen Labrie, a former St. Paul's School student, during his 2015 trial for sexual assault.

On Thursday, Labrie's hearing for a new trial on the basis his legal team poorly represented him officially wrapped up after three days. Labrie, who's now 21, is free on bail while he appeals his one year sentence.

St. Paul’s graduate Owen Labrie will present his case for a new trial this week in Concord. In 2015 Labrie was sentenced to one year in prison for having sex with a minor as well as using a computer to lure her.